The Reign of Mary

Issue No. 101, Summer 2001
Special Commemorative Edition Part 2

This issue showcases some of the most significant articles written for The Reign of Mary in the past.

THE FRUITS OF VATICAN COUNCIL II

“An Angel from Heaven...”Originally published in Reign of Mary #55, Winter 1988.
In testing the authenticity of any alleged apparition, our first criterion must be the orthodoxy of the doctrine that it proposes. Miracles, signs and wonders are not primary proofs of authenticity....

“I Cannot Accept This Reformation...”Letters of Sr. Mary Romaine, O.P.; originally published in Reign of Mary #78, Summer 1994
...With God's help, I shall keep my vows and the spirit of the Dominican community life as best I can; moreover, no power on earth will ever deprive me of my habit and veil and what they signify....

Cremation? Not for CatholicsBy Rev. Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI; originally published in Reign of Mary #95, Fall 1998
Earth burial has been an integral part of Western culture for at least 1500 years. Lately, however, cremation has become more and more common, to the point that even traditional Catholics may wonder whether it is a lawful means of disposing of the remains of the departed....

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST

A history in photographs — 4 pages filled with a total of 45 pictures of persons and events in the history of CMRI.

PRESERVING THE CATHOLIC FAITH

In Defense of My Acceptance of Episcopal ConsecrationA Letter of Bishop Moises Carmona; originally published in Reign of Mary #99, Summer 1998
...It is clear that in normal circumstances, no bishop can consecrate licitly another bishop [without a papal mandate], but we are presently living in circumstances that are not at all normal....

Declaration of Archbishop Ngo-Dinh-ThucOriginally published in Reign of Mary #99, Summer 1998
...in the sight of God, how does today's Church appear? Are the Masses — both the daily ones and those at which people assist on Sundays — pleasing to God? By no means, because that Mass is the same for Catholics as it is for Protestants — therefore it is displeasing to God and invalid....

Canon Law and Common SenseBy Rev. Fr. Anthony Cekada; originally published in Reign of Mary #74, Summer 1993
...By definition, all law is directed toward the common good. In the case of ecclesiastical law, says the theologian Merkelback, the specific “common good” the church intends is “the worship of God and the supernatural sanctification of men....”

Fatima: Diamond of HopeBy Very Rev. Fr. Denis Chicoine, CMRI; originally published in Reign of Mary #72, Fall 1992
...So many have chosen to ignore the message Our Lady gave at Fatima that not only have we seen wars and natural disasters that God allowed as punishments, but for the past thirty years, we have seen the destruction of the Catholic Church except for a remnant....

Gothic Cathedrals: A Reflection of Medieval ManBy Walter A. Pivarunas
...Among the greatest monuments of man's achievements in the Middle Ages are the great medieval Gothic cathedrals.....

What is the Third Order?By Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI
According to canon law, third order members, or tertiaries, are laity “who live in the world under the direction of an order and endeavor to attain Christian perfection according to its spirit”....